The promised giraffe sculpture trail has now begun on the city’s streets as the eight-feet tall sculptures, all individually designed, have been let loose.
There are two types – the tall trail and the wee herd of 29 four-foot tall giraffes which will take to indoor locations such as libraries. The wee herd is sponsored by Essential Edinburgh and CityFibre.
Staff from the zoo put all the animal sculptures in their individually allocated spots during the night last week and you can now see them all over the city until 29 August. At that point the giraffes will herd together at the zoo for a final farewell weekend in September.
The purpose of the giraffe trail is to raise funds for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) the charity which runs Edinburgh Zoo and undertakes conservation work around the world.
There is a map for the trail allowing you to spot all of the creatures which you can download here. There is also an app on either the App Store or Google Play (search for Giraffe About Town) costs 89p and the proceeds go to RZSS.
Ben Supple, director of engagement and business development at RZSS said, “It is so exciting to see our giraffe sculptures out in the wild after over a year of hard work and collaboration to bring this exciting free art trail to the people and streets of Edinburgh.
“With the challenges we have all been facing, we hope Giraffe About Town will help local people and tourists fall in love with Edinburgh all over again by encouraging them to explore iconic locations and hidden gems across the city.
“Every sculpture has been sponsored by an organisation with ties to our local community or conservation and is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when we work together.
“As well as raising funds for RZSS, we wanted to give back to the communities that helped us care for our amazing animals and keep our conservation work going when the zoo was closed. It has been incredible to see the support visitors, communities and businesses have given us.”
The giraffes will be auctioned to raise funds for the charity which lost around £1.5 million in missed revenue during the pandemic.
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